by Joey W. Hill
A swarm of ten kids appeared to be under Des and the other workers’ instruction as he combined the volunteer activity with teaching them building skills. He’d told her four of them were his Type I kids, so the others must be from the neighborhood. She wasn’t surprised that Des would include any kid interested in learning.
He looked damn good, which amused her, since he was coated in sawdust, his sweat-dampened hair scraped back with a rubber band, and he wore a paint-stained shirt and jeans. But men looked better dirty than women did. Everyone knew that, so her opinion might not be entirely blinded by lust. Though there was nothing wrong with a healthy dose of lust, especially when flavored with sheer delight at seeing him again.
He waved, telling her he knew she was there, and she settled on a bench to watch, knowing it was best to stay out of the way until he had time to take a break and say hello.
He’d pulled two of the children off to the side. Since they were standing by the old parallel bars, she could hear the gist of the conversation. He was explaining how to monitor and interpret their insulin levels when doing strenuous work like this. He had a good teaching style, conveying how important it was for them to know the information without condescending or lecturing.
“Right now, your parents probably check your numbers and stay on you about what to eat and when to take your insulin, but it’s really great when you take responsibility for it yourself, and know it all so well they start asking you questions about it. The more you prove you can handle this, the more comfortable they’ll be letting you handle it. It’s your body, your life. You start taking control now, you’ll be glad you did. You’ll grow up to be totally cool like me.”
As he said that, he’d gripped the parallel bars and turned himself upside down, hooking his knees over one of the bars. He finished the advice while hanging upside down, arms crossed over his chest, looking like a bat. The two kids jeered at him good naturedly. When one came too close, he grabbed the boy by the waist and turned him upside down, threatening to make him eat dirt.
She really shouldn’t be fascinated by how his biceps bunched when he did that, or how he held the kid so easily while he himself was hanging just by his legs, but hey, she was weak. His bill cap had fallen off, his thick ponytail falling along his jaw. When he released the boy to reach down and pick it up, he put it on the head of the other child, a young girl with pink sneakers and purple hair. Julie swallowed a chuckle, realizing Des had a purple streak in his own hair. Julie suspected the girl had a temporary dye powder or spray and had talked Des into giving it a try for fun.
He was so good with kids. She wondered if he wanted any of his own. She’d always wanted to experience childbirth. Was she too old? A lot of women did it later these days. She’d be happy to adopt if she was no longer a good candidate, but she imagined a child with Des’s eyes and smile, and their combined way of looking at the world.
Whoa, girlfriend. Ease up there. Way scary territory.
The slats of her wooden bench shifted beneath her hips, thankfully drawing her away from that topic. A woman had taken a seat on the opposite end. She looked about sixty and had a dandelion fluff of short white-gold hair styled around her pleasant face, combined with a bisque complexion that suggested mixed Caucasian and African parentage. She tucked a folder under her thigh as she took a sip from a water bottle.
Since she was wearing scrubs, Julie assumed she must be one of the neighbors, a medical professional about to head off for shift after checking in on how the playground was going. There were other neighbors spectating in the same way, watching from their front porches across the street, or camping out on the crumbling brick wall that edged the playground area. This bench was on the parking lot side of the playground where Des’s truck and the contractor vehicles were arrayed, so Julie had had it all to herself until now.
She didn’t mind the company. The woman was smiling at Des’s antics with the kids, which already convinced Julie to like her, but she never needed an excuse to strike up a conversation with a new potential friend.
“He’s a character, isn’t he?” she ventured.
The woman glanced her way. While she’d probably given Julie a quick once-over before sitting down, that automatic evaluation strangers did before risking proximity, the woman seemed to give her an even closer look now, taking Julie’s measure in an in-depth way that left Julie curious.
It was then she noticed the pattern on the woman’s scrubs. Horses, galloping, prancing and rolling in small tufts of printed grass. She wore a dainty gold watch and, on the same wrist, a friendship bracelet in gold and silver thread with knot patterns that Julie recognized.
“Oh.” She made an educated guess, pleased with the chance to meet another important person in Des’s life. “You’re Betty, aren’t you?”
“I am,” Betty replied in a rasping yet honeyed voice that reminded Julie of the Oracle in The Matrix.
Julie extended a hand. “Julie Ramirez. Des and I have been seeing each other for a short while.”
“Ah, I thought so.” Betty clasped Julie’s hand, softening her unsettling scrutiny. “You’re the mystery woman. I knew he’d brought someone home a couple times, but he’s been good about sneaking you in and out while I was asleep or working.”
Julie grinned. “I expect that has more to do with my schedule. I’m in theater and we’re always working impossible hours.”
“Sounds a lot like nursing.” As the children shrieked, both women looked up to see that Des had swung off the parallel bars. He was chasing the two kids as they played keep away with his hat. He could have caught either one easily, but was lunging and missing to prolong the game.
“Lord, he’s always had more heart than sense, but he’s so good with those kids.” Betty shook her head. “See the boy? Justice was terrified of anything even resembling a needle. Yet Des has him putting on his pump and testing his blood sugar like it’s nothing out of the ordinary. None of the drama and tears that were giving his poor parents gray hairs.”
“I’m familiar with Des’s powers of persuasion,” Julie said. “They’re hard to resist. Do you know how he did it?”
The crow’s feet around Betty’s attractive pale green eyes crinkled. “That’s a kind way of saying he’s stubborn as a stump. But he can be clever, patient and kind about it, which is often just what these kids need. Took me a while to pry it out of him, since he initially said it was a secret bro code between him and Justice.”
Betty shook her head. “He told the boy to imagine he was a super hero. Putting on the pump would give him powers against the evil Dr. Sharp, whose strength draws from fear of needles.”
Betty considered the thin boy as Des caught him, reclaiming the hat, but in their wrestling for it, his arm ended up around Justice’s back and the boy took the opportunity to give him a self-conscious hug. Des returned it in full measure, ruffling his hair.
“He told Justice that every kid who sticks his finger or puts on his pump without fear lessens Dr. Sharp’s power, so he can’t do bad things to make the world a darker place. I had the pleasure of being there the first time Justice put on his pump without fuss. Afterward, he was beaming from ear to ear. Des high-fived him and exclaimed, ‘See, it worked. The world just became brighter, right? That was all you. Your name says it all, man. Justice kicks the ass of darkness.’”
Betty used her hands, voice and widened eyes expressively to bring the story to life. It suggested she was good with kids herself. Since Des obviously held her in fond regard from his own childhood, that came as no surprise.
Julie watched Des put Justice up on the parallel bars, spotting him so he could hang upside down. The boy laughed and then yelled as Des and the little girl tried to tickle him. She wondered if there was anyone Des wasn’t comfortable around.
“So are you involved with the playground project, or just here to see Des?”
“I’m here to see Des, but he got involved with this through me. A patient from this neighborhood told me they were renovati
ng the playground and needed skilled volunteer labor. I told Des and here he is, with his friends.” Betty smiled. “He and I go way back.”
“He said you were the nurse at the boys’ home where he was raised.”
Betty gave her another speculative look, as if she hadn’t expected that to be something Julie would know. “Yes. After he moved out on his own at eighteen, I eventually went into PA work. Physician’s Assistant. When he transitioned from an endocrinologist to an internist, as often happens when Type I kids grow up, he came to my boss. Now I’m his PA as well as his landlady.”
“So, was he a cool teenager? Give me something that will mortify him. How can I bribe you?”
Betty chuckled. “He was a very cool teenager.”
“I’m not surprised to hear it,” Julie admitted. “He mentioned he dealt with a lot of health problems. My takeaway from what little he said was that he had to be a pretty remarkable kid to be as good with life as he seems to be now.”
The personal note gave Julie the chance to convey the less than subtle message that Des had shared confidences with her, in case Betty wanted to be more forthcoming. She didn’t want the woman to betray Des’s trust, but now that she’d admitted to herself and him that she was falling in love with him, Julie wanted to know as much about him as she could.
Betty met Julie’s gaze. “I believe,” she said, with a look that Julie was sure had made more than one boy squirm, “this is where I ask you your intentions with regard to Des.”
“That’s a great combination of Southern traditional courtesy and ‘don’t bullshit me or I’ll stomp you like a bug.’” Julie shifted closer, turning on her hip to give Betty her full attention. “I’m falling head-over-heels with him and terrified he’s going to betray my heart and treat me like crap. He’s made it clear that he might screw up my life entirely, but the one thing he’ll never do is treat me badly.”
Betty blinked. “You do brutal honesty very well. But yes, you are right. Des won’t ever treat you carelessly. He’s guarded himself so long because he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. However, by doing that, I think he’s closed himself off from having a truly two-way relationship, where he can be given the gift of someone’s heart.” Betty gave her another searching look. “Perhaps that’s changed.”
“Well, let’s not go insane. It doesn’t say anything about his feelings. I could be a very charming stalker.”
Betty’s eyes sparkled. “I think not. He doesn’t bring women home, and I’ve never seen any of them visit him while he’s working.”
“Well, technically this isn’t a job site. Though I have been to one of those.” At Betty’s satisfied look, Julie held up a hand. “Okay, don’t freak me out, because being in love with him and okay with that is still new to me and porcelain fragile. Let’s go back to the impressive teenager thing and you telling me stuff about him I don’t know. If I’ve passed the initial test.”
“I think you have.” Betty’s expression was a mix of fascination and wary amusement, but she crossed her legs, readjusting the folder beneath her thigh. “Des spent so much time in doctor’s offices and hospitals,” she said. “It wasn’t an easy childhood, but I expect that’s what made him Des and what helps him be so good with these kids. He doesn’t let them feel sorry for themselves, not a bit, but he’s always there with a hug or a pat on the shoulder when needed.”
“Were you the one who provided that for him?”
The nurse looked surprised, but her shrewdness returned. “You have a kind heart. He needs that. I was there more than most, and it was still a sad substitute for full-time parents. He was unadoptable, as you can imagine. He accepted that early on, and the need to care for himself. He hated hospitals, doctors, people poking him and taking away his choices. I told him the best way to minimize that was to take complete control of his health.”
Betty smiled at Des fondly. He was back over in the construction area, giving the kids pavers to carry to a section of the playground. “It was something to see, a nine-year-old explaining his medical history as capably as an adult. Ten-dollar medical terms tripping off his tongue like a foreign language he knew fluently. He’d tell a doctor what he’d overlooked, or show new techs how to do procedures on him more efficiently.”
Betty stopped. “I have a tendency to want to talk about him to someone who thinks he’s as remarkable as I do,” she admitted. “You were looking at him that way when I sat down, but it wasn’t naively starry-eyed. I sense you’ve already met his frustrating side.”
“The head like a brick thing? Oh yeah. But it sounds like that may have made him what he is, too.”
“It is. Our weaknesses and strengths often switch places in unexpectedly beneficial ways.”
Julie considered that in relation to herself. Her heart had been broken plenty, but maybe those disappointments had been necessary for her to appreciate all that Des was, all the two of them could be. But she could ponder life paths later.
“So sick kid, orphan, it didn’t matter.” Julie pursed her lips. “He just took it in stride and moved forward? I’m not disagreeing. He seems far more at ease with any trouble in his past than most of my friends. And their biggest therapy issue is usually that daddy didn’t hug them enough.”
“It’s often hard for those of us who have had family support to understand,” Betty explained. “But a kid in the system, there isn’t another option. You take care of yourself because numbers and time are against you getting a lot of one-on-one attention. But don’t mistake taking-in-stride for easy. He had his low moments. He just never really expected anyone to be there to hold his hand through…anything.”
Shadows passed through the nurse’s eyes as she looked toward Des again, but when she brought her attention back to Julie, her gaze had lightened, heralding a lighter subject. “So you really expect me to buy that falling-in-love crap? Admit it. You’re just using him for sex.”
Julie laughed. “I admit he’s extremely good at that, but no. He makes me laugh and…”
Her gaze shifted to him. He was offering each kid a supervised turn at the giant circular saw, a mother’s nightmare. She’d intended to give Betty a flip response, but that wasn’t what came from her lips. “I’ve been looking for a good man for a long time,” she admitted. “He is one, and I’m hoping this will turn into a good thing for both of us. Too early to tell, but it sure feels right.”
Betty touched her hand, a casual affection. “Your eyes are sparkling, so I’d say you’re working a heavy crush on my boy.” She cocked her head. “You’re not Southern.”
“No. Born in Oregon, but most of my life has been theater up in New York, Boston and Philly. I’m down here getting Wonder on its feet.”
“Oh the erotic theater. I should have known he’d be involved in that.” At Julie’s surprised expression, Betty grinned. “I’m not a monk. Some girlfriends were gushing about it. They said I needed to buy tickets, but I missed my chance.”
“Oh.” Julie paused, not sure what to say to that. How would Des have felt, knowing a woman who’d served in an obvious maternal capacity to him was watching his part of the show?
“Ah.” Betty’s shrewd gaze said she’d connected the dots in less than a blink. “He was in it, wasn’t he? With his fancy rope stuff? Oh, dear, don’t look surprised. I’ve known about that side of his nature for a while, though we don’t talk about it in great detail.”
She sobered again. “At one time a whole platoon of nurses, doctors and specialists regularly prodded into Des’s every day-to-day decision. Complete privacy wasn’t a choice for him. It’s routine to him now, but he still has to examine every choice under a microscope. Sex, exercise, job choices; anything that puts stress on his body. Fortunately, he’s self-sufficient enough at this point to get by mostly with one medical care consultant. Or as he fondly calls me, ‘the pain in his ass constantly interfering with his life.’”
Though Betty was keeping the conversation to generalities, it confirmed Julie’s earlier suspicions, that Des
’s health concerns went beyond basic diabetic care.
“His rope work calms him and reduces his stress level, in one way at least.” She gave Julie an unexpectedly impish wink. “I admit, I’ve been curious about it for a long time. Seeing him on stage, me hidden in the faceless audience, that would have been the least embarrassing option for me to satisfy my curiosity, wouldn’t it? I hate I missed it.”
“Well, we did tape the last show. I’d be happy to let you borrow it, as long as you promise not to post it on YouTube for millions of viewers.” Julie fished out a card for her. “And if ever you want to come to another show at Wonder, we keep a few seats set by for special requests. Just tell me how many friends you’ll be bringing and I’ll make sure you have good seats.”
Betty took the card. “How very kind of you. Oh, look out now, I’ve been busted. He finally noticed who was sitting with you. The first few times he looked over, all he saw was you.” Betty winked at her.
Des was coming their way. Julie noted a faint tightening of his jaw when his gaze shifted between them that suggested Betty’s presence wasn’t entirely welcome. Did it bug him that she and Betty might be talking about him? Was he worried that one or both of them was saying too much?
Regardless, when he approached, he bent and kissed the older woman on the cheek. She put her arms around his neck, a brief intimacy and eye lock that confirmed their long history. While Julie was sure that journey hadn’t always been smooth, the most enduring relationships were like that, weren’t they?
“Exchanging stories?” Des said casually.
“Your ears must be burning,” Julie said, just as mildly. “She was singing your praises. I’m not believing a word of it.”
